Dear friends,
Lately, I’ve been awoken by a symphony of bird songs and a stunning green outside my 12 casement windows.
I’m still at my folk's place in Crystal Waters. 25 years ago my papa planted out a rainforest on our 1-acre property and now the trees have grown wild and dense and all the birds from the region come here to frolic, nest and sing. I can't even count each different bird song there are so many. What a wonderful way to wake up.
I’ve been listening to an incredible audiobook by one of my favourite designers ‘Thomas Heatherwick’ he speaks of how nature heals humans. For instance, they did studies on people living in commission houses in England. Some residents could see a tree from the window, while others could only see a concrete courtyard from their window.
The difference in their mental health was astounding. Just having a view to a tree gave people hope and clarity, while the other residents were more depressed, despondent and isolated. The same goes for hospitals. If patients can see greenery from their window, they not only heal faster but need less pain relief and are admitted earlier.
This should not be an astounding revelation but now that it’s been scientifically proven maybe developers and designers will take it more seriously. Nature is ever healing. After all, we are nature.
Speaking of nature. The Davidson plum tree next to my parent's house has given us a miraculous late winter harvest. Beautiful bright shimmering purple fruits have been falling onto the ground like little treasures. I checked the other trees in town to see if they were giving off a crop and they weren't….When I asked my papa if it was normal to give 2 harvests a year he said ‘These trees make their own decisions’. And that they do.
So if you have a Davidson Plum tree around that's dropping fruit I highly recommend you ferment it. It's one of my favourite fruits to ferment and it's rich in everything. Antioxidants, vitamins… the whole magilla. Recipe below.
Also, BIG NEWS my Whisky Barrel Chilli Oil is finally ready! Its a collab with Byron Bays very own Highwayman Whisky distillery. I’ve used their barrels to ferment my hot sauce in and god damn it tastes amazing. Umami, spicy but with a little sweetness from the pineapple. I only have about 15 jars left, so if you want some let me know and I can post it to your doorstep.
Sara’s Late Winter Davidson Plum Ferment-
What you need-
Fresh Davidson plums
Chilly
Onion
Ginger
Garlic
Papaya
Papaya seeds
Salt
You can mix and match these ingredients with whatever is in season. I just used what I have in my kitchen or whatever's in season.
What you do-
-De pip the Davidson Plum. There is usually about 2 pips in each piece of fruit.
-Slice them up into quarters
-Dice up all the other ingredients
-Add salt (I do this by eye or taste) but the golden rule is about 1.5-2% salt by weight.
So If you end up with 1340g of Davidson Plum mixture, multiply by .015, and you will get the quantity of salt you need ie. 1340 x 0.015 = 20.1g salt.
-Put everything in a clean jar
-Label it and shake it daily for about a week.
-If there's no liquid coming up you can get a wooden pestle and smush it down to release liquid or you can blend it.
You can start eating it after a few days. The longer you leave it the more complex the flavour will become.
Eat it with everything.. meat, rice, beans, toast etc.
(p.s you can save the pips and propagate them into more Davidson Plum trees or use the pips to make dye)
If you have any questions please get in touch!
enjoy!
Sara x